Dawson Creek Community Sport Hero ® Awards

Dawson Creek Community Sport Hero® Awards

Sandra Johnson
Sandra has been a dedicated volunteer to golf for more than 20 years. She has organized countless lessons and planned tournaments and events for juniors at the Dawson Creek Golf Course – tasks she considers most rewarding. With the firm belief that no one gets turned away, Sandra has significantly helped grow junior golf in northern BC. The growth of golf in the area paved the way for juniors and adults to apply the skills they learned at the club level to participate in provincial tournaments showcasing the talents of the Peace. Most
importantly, it has encouraged golfers to travel within the Zone to play at various clubs and develop friendships.

Marilyn Kreuzinger
Marilyn has been a figure skating coach for the Mile 0 Figure Skating Club in Dawson Creek for over 35 years. Aside from coaching, we could not calculate the man hours of volunteer time Marilyn has given to her club and her community. Marilyn also sits on the Board of Directors for BC/YT Section, Skate Canada, and is on the coaching committee for the National body. She is knowledgeable and willing to do whatever is requested of her. Marilyn also volunteers for the Dawson Creek Fall Fair Committee.

Mike ReadmanMike has been a teacher in School District 59 for 14 years. A true advocate of physical activity, Mike dedicates endless hours to coaching within his school and at other schools in the district. He has coached volleyball at elementary, middle and secondary schools for many years and is coaching basketball for the first time this year. A firm believer in the benefits of daily physical activity, Mike engages children during the school day through school based initiatives, such as the Premier’s Sport Awards Program (p.s.a.p.) and Action Schools! BC.

In the community, Mike is actively involved with hockey, volleyball and baseball. In 2000, he began coaching minor hockey and joined the Dawson Creek Minor Hockey Association Executive Committee as Vice President of Publicity a few years later. He is now President of the Association and oversees the Executive, coordinates goalie practices once a week, and is a fixture at his two sons’ Bantam Rep games. He is the Past-President of the Dawson Creek Volleyball Club and he coached the club’s under-15 boys’ team for four years and is now coaching his sons’ Peace Country Volleyball Club’s under-15 team. Mike is also highly involved in baseball in Dawson Creek. He has coached house and rep teams for 9 years and has led his teams to three provincial championships. As a tireless volunteer, supporter, and role model of physical activity in the Dawson Creek area for more than 14 years, and for inspiring thousands of children to pursue active lifestyles.

Mike Bernier
Mike Bernier has been involved with South Peace Junior Soccer for 15 years, an affiliate of BC Soccer Association. He has held many different positions in SPJS, including the referee and coach instructor for 5 years, the President of SPJS for 5 years, he is currently the past president, and he has coached several teams for 15 years. He usually coaches 2 teams each year, although one summer he coached 4 different teams!

During his 5 terms as president, Mike built the association up to over 1000 kids playing soccer in Dawson Creek, including the creation of a new competitive soccer program. Mike was instrumental in the development and completion of the new Soccer Park, an outstanding outdoor facility that opened in 2006. Mike has worked closely with businesses and organizations to raise over $250,000 for the junior soccer program.

Tim Love
Tim has been involved with the youth of our community for well over twenty-five years, by volunteering through sports activities and spiritual groups. Tim has been an active volleyball coach with both our male and female youth athletes by coaching at Ron Pettigrew Christian School, South Peace Secondary School and then carrying on thru the year with our Dawson Creek Volleyball Club. He has been an instrumental force in promoting the development of our club over ten years. His commitment to develop sport skills, leadership, and an understanding of the requirement to be a positive influence is seen in all our youth that have been coached by Tim.

Over the past twenty-five years Tim has obviously gone beyond any volunteer’s call of duty to make a huge difference in many of our youth and young adults through sports activities. He has not only been involved with the Dawson Creek Volleyball Club but other sports such as basketball, floor hockey, beach volleyball as the list goes on. Tim does not only coach and mentor our young athletes he is also an
active member with all fundraising that takes place, it is very unusual to have a community event without seeing Tim’s friendly face there.

Betty Hanston
Betty has coached students for the past 20 years, coaching the junior program at the Dawson Creek Curling Club. Betty was tied for 2nd all time best coach in BC. She also volunteers for the local curling clinics held at the club. She is a great role model for our students. She places emphasis on good sportsmanship and respect in her teaching. Her teams have won many championships here in BC. She coached 3 SPSS high school curling teams to a provincial title. She is held in high regard by the teams she has coached as well as the membership and staff of the curling club. She has worked very hard to help the students plus volunteered on our executive.

Jim Mah
Jim is the principal at Canalta Elementary school. He has organized an elementary curling program for grades 5-7. He started this program 25 years ago and is still doing so today. This is all volunteer work and he has done a remarkable job with it. The volume of students involved ranges from 16 to 24 teams per year. He has introduced the sport of curling to a lot of students through the years and a lot of the students carried on with the sport. He teaches sportsmanship as well as etiquette. He also organizes a bonspiel at the end of the season. The Dawson Creek Curling Club is very pound to have him as a part of their club.

Ed JohnsonEd has participated in the elementary curling league for the past 25 years of continuous participation. Ed has now retired from his teaching profession for a few years, but has continued to volunteer with the elementary curling program. He remains to be Jim Mah’s right hand man in maintaining the program. Ed has also served on the executive of the curling club for several years and continues to do so. He has been a great asset to the club.